You got scammed: Your personal defense against go-getters

Beep, beep, beep, beep! Your smartphone just beeped and guess what the message was all about? It said that you just won a brand new luxury car and an all-expense-paid trip to Paris for two! You got so excited, so you immediately sent a reply to the message without thinking about anything else. All you have in mind is the brand new car that you will soon park in your garage and drive around the city just for the purpose of flaunting, and finally thinking and deciding whoever it is you’ll take with you to enjoy Paris. After five excruciating minutes, you receive another message saying that you can claim your prize after surrendering your credit cards and giving a deposit of 1,000 dollars and other specific instructions. Ignorant as you are with the ways of the world, you blindly obey and give them what they are asking for. After everything, unfortunately, you never heard from them again. Alas, it dawned on you; you’ve been scammed.

                 

The good news is, there are ways you could do to be more cautious to prevent this from happening, read on to find out about them.

If it’s too good to be true, it might as well is

                Miracles happen once in a while, but not in the kind of way where some random text or email came to your attention saying that you won a great fortune and some other stuff even though you can’t remember if you ever joined in a raffle or something. I’m not saying that you can never win in promos or raffles; I’m just saying that your chance to win so big of a price is next to impossible. However, if we are talking about winning smaller things like USB chargers, shoes, bag, clothes, umbrellas, or the like, it might not hurt if you perceive that they are real.

Don’t give money, to get money

                If the message you received says that you won money but then again asks for money in return to claim it, I’m sure as hell that it is actually a scam. Asking money when you are actually giving away money doesn’t make any sense, does it? Indeed, this is an outright textbook scam, but you’ll be surprised on how much from us fall prey on this trap. They end up draining their bank accounts in the hopes of getting more in return.

Don’t give them personal information

                The moment you provide them your personal information, you start to give them a powerful weapon against you. Precious and personal information given to the wrong hands will probably jeopardize you for the time being. For example, you told them that you live alone in your apartment and worse, you gave them your address, you’ll never know when people will come over to your house and rob you down.

                 

Remember when you purchased a cell phone case for your device making sure that you provide the proper protection for it? Doing the things aforementioned is just like the same thing; you put on some sort of a protective cover over yourself and your belongings to safeguard you from further scamming.

You Snooze, You Lose

People nowadays are so obsessed in losing weight and staying skinny. The trend when it comes to an “ideal” body figure has just changed from the curvaceous form to the anorexic, malnourished, food-hating, emaciated, skin-and-bones figure. Let’s not be judgmental about what the majority wants. Anyway, it’s their body. For as long as they’re happy with how they look, then I suppose we just have to be happy for them as well.

Given the fact that losing weight is what a lot of people craze about, still, others can’t seem to achieve the type of body that they want to have. You have to be a gym fanatic or an anorexic just to shed those extra pounds. However, recent studies show that mere sleeping can do much for your fitness level. Researchers from Columbia University have found out that sleep-deprived people had a significantly stronger neuronal response and inclination to junk calories. Simply put, less sleep means more cravings. Now won’t you look at that, sleeping can actually lead to weight loss. The activity that is the easiest to do can help you achieve the body you’ve been dreaming of. While keeping your energy levels up the same as putting a replacement battery on your phone, you get to lose weight, and that’s hitting two birds with one stone. Below are some of the foods that can greatly enhance your sleep to a slimmer you.

1.       Almonds. Magnesium is an electrolyte that improves sleep quality, duration, and morning alertness, according to a 2011 study published in the “Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.” This is due to the association of magnesium with melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles. Increasing magnesium intake promotes the secretion of melatonin. One very good source of this mineral is almonds. Aside from its high magnesium content, it also is rich in tryptophan, fiber, protein, and healthy fats that helps you become slim and satiated.

2.       Banana. The same as almonds, bananas also are rich in tryptophan and magnesium; however, they are also jam-packed with potassium that promotes a more restful sleep. Research shows that potassium deficiency disrupted the sleep cycles of fruit flies, and experts believe that this is also applicable for humans. So, an adequate intake of potassium rich foods, such as banana, is good for promoting sleep.

3.       Kiwi. According to a Taiwanese study, people who ate 2 kiwi fruits an hour before going to bed fell asleep faster, slept longer, and had higher quality of sleep as compared to people who didn’t. Researchers relate this effect to the high antioxidant content of kiwis. Free radicals that build-up in the body can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, and since antioxidants fight free radicals, then 2 servings of this fruit can enhance your sleep. Additionally, kiwis contain a substantial amount of serotonin that supports a sound sleep.

4.       Oatmeal. It has been a popular belief that a glass of milk before bedtime can help you sleep because dairy products contain high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps regulate sleep patterns. But, a study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” states that, “Other amino acids in high-protein foods, like milk, can actually prevent tryptophan from reaching the brain, making you feel alert and energized rather than sleepy.” Carbohydrates, on the other hand, cause your pancreas to secrete insulin that clears amino acids from the blood, which allows the drowsing effect of tryptophan to work on your brain. So, the best way is to take your proteins in the morning and eat your carbohydrates, like oatmeal, during nighttimes.

So before waking up by the alarm on your smartphone, make sure you had 8 hours of sleep. Having so will help you to control mindless snacking and prevent you from giving in to your cravings. All it takes is a sound, quality sleep to lose some weight.

Man’s Humanity

It is not enough to say that no human being is created perfect. Because of our curious nature, we keep on finding the loophole in a person’s character so as to justify that fact. This desperate search for the imperfection is to reconcile the “too good to be true” against the “nobody’s perfect” notion of people. Just like when you are trying to search for the perfect smartphone for you, the moment you google it, instead of the positive reviews, it’s the negative feedbacks that catches your eye.

                 

To save time with overanalyzing the people around you, there are the most popular characteristics that even the person with the best behavior commits in dire times. Here are some of them.

1.       Hides vulnerability

Most often than not, people think that when they are without weakness, that makes them better people. While indeed, weaknesses may spell out as something negative to a person’s system, what they don’t understand is that their vulnerability points to their heart. Vulnerability doesn’t necessarily mean “weakness” per se; it means the inability to withstand a certain scenario or situation. The inability may be caused by a myriad of reasons not just because you are “weak”.

2.       Avoids any attachments

Once, a friend told me that emotional attachments are nothing but dangerous distractions. When the heart talks, the head stops working and listens instead. This phenomenon can be called as sentiment. Sentiments can bring harm to the person once he or she inclined himself to his particular emotional attachments. These sentiments can make or break the person involved. That is what usually happens when you let your heart dominate your brain. The thing is, if you avoid having any form of emotional attachment or even investment, you stop being human. You become like one of those latest gadgets they sensationalize in the market. They look good and perform out-of-this-world functions, but still they don’t have the power to show affection and emotion.

3.       Shutting

The most annoying thing that one person could do is to just stop talking. If words hurt more than actions, I must say that without words the situation is more excruciating. The mental torture of guessing forever while your company is not even talking is excruciating. The nearest thing you can get from talking is a grunt. Indeed, less words equals less mistakes, but without words, there will also be no understanding, and without understanding, there will be no concrete relationship.

               

We all have that singular trait that proves our humanity in one way or another. We don’t need to hide it nor be ashamed of it. Our actions and behavior are just mere representation of man’s humanity.